The Court did not revisit any abortion precedents, such as its decision in Casey.

The two states themselves take the position that their laws can be upheld within the framework of the Court's abortion precedents.

The abortion precedents that the Court placed in substantial doubt with its decision in a Missouri case this month also center on constitutional privacy doctrine.

That is because the state has not challenged the abortion precedents and contends that its restrictions on abortions for minors are consistent with them.

The case offers the Court a vehicle for reconsidering its abortion precedents.

Abortion The Court does not have a case this term in which it is likely to rule squarely on the continued validity of its abortion precedents.

But it is unclear whether the Court would consider the narrow issue in the Illinois case an appropriate vehicle for a broad re-evaluation of its abortion precedents.

The Supreme Court's abortion precedents are not directly at issue in this case.

If the Supreme Court wants to address the right-to-die issue without invoking its abortion precedents, Judge Calabresi's analysis shows the way.

Mr. Coburn also said he did not press Judge Roberts on the abortion precedents.